Always There
by HouseLover
Summary: A Huddy Fic. House is suspended for a while, but maybe it won't be as bad as he thinks. Please Read and Review
1. Suspended

ONE 

"My head just really hurts, like someone is punching me over and over again. And when someone turns a light on, it's like this burning feeling in my eyes. I'm really worried about it," said a teenage boy in exam room one to House, who was focused on his gameboy instead. House sighed as he finished the next level and looked at his watch. _Two more hours of this hell,_ he thought, sick of the clinic already.

"Umm.. Doctor?"

House looked up at the patient in front of him and chuckled at his severe lack of competency. "You have a hangover," he said bluntly. "Go home, drink some water, take some aspirin, and you'll be fit to go back to school in less than an hour."

The teenage boy just stared at him as if he was missing something. He opened his mouth to say something else, when House tapped him on the arm with his cane, urging him to get out. The boy just obliged and reluctantly left the exam room, leaving House alone with his gameboy once more. He continued to play for a while more, until he was interrupted by someone opening the door.

"I knew I'd find you in here," Wilson's voice said from the doorway. "I'm here to rescue you actually. Cuddy needs to talk to you. She got someone to cover the rest of your shift. You got lucky this time."

House didn't need to be told more than once; he picked up his cane and limped out of the clinic, slowly heading towards Cuddy's office.

"This better be important, because you just stole me from my favorite place on earth and I was really hoping I could spend the rest of the day diagnosing stupidity. It really is a wonderful dose of humanity," House said sarcastically as he pushed open the doors to Cuddy's office. He prepared himself for a snarky remark from her, but nothing came. He stopped in front of her desk and eyed her suspiciously, watching her fiddle nervously with her necklace.

"What's going on?" he demanded, more worry in his voice this time.

"Tritter's back. He's after me this time though. I have to suspend your medial license."

"You can't do that! You have no reason to suspend my license other than pleasing that bastard. We already won, Cuddy. He can't do this now," House shouted, anger and frustration weighing down his every word.

"It's either a suspension for you or my whole job, House. He's made it pretty clear and hasn't given me much choice."

"So this is just about you? You wouldn't want to ruin your ideal reputation, so instead you're taking away my job. That's hardly fair at all, and you know it! You just want to get rid of me. Don't want to deal with any more lawsuits, any more angry parents, so you're just going to tear me away from it. It's that simple for you, isn't it?"

Cuddy was shocked; she could not believe he accused her of that. She felt her throat tighten and she looked down at her hands to avoid House's accusing eyes. She said nothing for a while and was thankful when her pager went off so she could leave her office before he saw the tears roll down her face.


	2. Hot Cross Buns

House filled his glass with whiskey and took one more swig of it before lifting his fingers back up to the piano again. He felt the liquid burn as it made its way down his throat, a distraction from the pain he was already feeling. He moved his fingers over the keys, letting the music express the rage that he couldn't put into words. He was still playing his piano when he heard a knock on the door. He didn't want to see anyone though, so he continued to play on, pressing the keys down harder to block out the knocking.

"House, I know you're in there. I can hear the piano," Cuddy yelled through the door, wishing he would just let her in so she could explain. She looked around, searching for another way in and noticed a pair of running shoes around the corner. _Well, I guess he's not as smart as I thought he was,_ Cuddy thought to herself as she reached in to them and pulled out his house key.

House was still playing the piano loudly when he noticed his front door creak open and Cuddy step into his house. A thousand emotions ran through his mind at that time. Anger, frustration, sadness, loss, and sorrow all whirled through his body like a hurricane. He didn't want to talk to her right now. Didn't want to talk to anyone right now, so he looked back down at the keys and continued to play.

Cuddy hated seeing him this way. She wanted so badly to simply comfort him, let him know it would be all right, but he would never let her. She slowly made her way over to the piano, noticing the half empty bottle of whiskey on top of it. Trying not to disturb him, she slid onto the bench next to him and watched as his fingers moved effortlessly over the keys. There was so much emotion in every single stroke of his fingers and it broke her heart to hear the melancholy in every note. After a while, he eventually stopped playing and he let his hands rest on the keys.

"I'm lifting your suspension, House," Cuddy started slowly, unsure of what to say to him. Finally, he looked up at her, urging her to explain. "I talked to Tritter after work today about everything. If I give up my position as Dean, you won't be suspended and we can both avoid jail time. So I told him I'd resign. There's no other option, House."

House listened intently to every word she spoke, his eyes searching hers for honesty. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had done everything to hurt her and now she was going to give up her job for him. He didn't deserve this.

"Tell him I'll take the suspension," House said, looking back down at his hands.

"What? House, you're right. There is no reason for you to be suspended. It isn't fair."

"No. Cuddy, you love your job. I won't let you give it up," House said relentlessly.

Cuddy didn't want to fight him anymore. She did love her job and the suggestion of giving it up was one of the hardest things she'd ever said. "Thank you," she said and looked away from him before she got lost in those intense blue eyes. She hoped he had forgiven her, hoped that he would trust her again. Silence fell over them once again, but the rage from before had subsided and a feeling of melancholy replaced it. She slowly slid herself closer to him, letting him know she was there for him.

House didn't know why he told her to keep her position at the hospital, but he just couldn't bear to see her everyday, knowing it was his entire fault she was no longer the Dean. He sighed quietly and let his fingers graze the piano keys without making any noise. He didn't know what to say to her. She was always there for him, and he had caused her nothing but pain. He felt her body against his side and unable to put any words together, he simply put his head on her shoulder and let himself relax.

The gesture, little as it was, was enough to make the tears fill up in Cuddy's eyes. She could feel all of the sorrow he was carrying and wished she could take it all away from him. He began to play the piano again and she rested her head on top of his, closing her eyes and letting a tear fall down her cheek.

"Do you just make that music up," Cuddy asked and House replied with a nod, as he lifted his head up and stopped playing. "It's beautiful."

Cuddy lifted her hands and let her fingers graze the keys that he had been playing, a smile creeping over her lips.

"You play?" He asked curiously.

"A long time ago."

"Let's hear something," he said with a smirk and she began to play. The familiar tune of hot cross buns filled his ears and he couldn't help but laugh.

"When you said a long time ago, I didn't think you meant kindergarten," he said, back to his old sarcastic self.

"Hey, I didn't learn that until grade five," Cuddy replied with a laugh as she hit him on the shoulder, her eyes never leaving his.


	3. You Miss Him Too

The next few weeks went by terribly slow for everyone. House was incredibly bored and even watching General Hospital reruns had lost its' excitement when he wasn't watching it from a hiding place. Wilson had visited him a couple times, bringing over take-out and movies, but the days and nights passed by all too slowly and he found himself counting down the days until he could go back to work.

Cuddy had found the hospital strangely quiet the past few weeks and she had to admit she didn't like it as much as she thought she would. She actually missed having to hunt down House and argue with him until one of them, although usually her, caved in. She hated Tritter for this, for making her job so complicated and difficult. She didn't deserve this. The hospital didn't deserve this. House didn't deserve this. It was completely unjust.

House's team had been equally bored as well. They had only had one interesting case since House had left and even Cameron was getting sick of diagnosing the stuffy noses in the clinic.

"Let's go get some coffee," Chase suggested that day, after the three of them had been staring at the empty whiteboard for hours.

"I'm in," Foreman said and the two of them looked over at Cameron as she sat reading House's mail.

"You know, House isn't even here. He won't even be here for another 5 months, Cameron. You'll have plenty of time to catch up on his mail for him then," Chase said, rolling his eyes. "Come on. It'll be nice to have a break."

Cameron put away the mail she had been reading and let Chase lead her out of the room for a break. However, before they could get out of the door, all three of them were paged by Cuddy and they turned around and headed to her office.

"You've got a new case," Cuddy told them as they walked into her office. "I'm gonna put Foreman in charge for this one, but try to work together on it. He's a thirty-five year old male with lesions around his mouth and a persistent cough. If you guys need a consult I'll be available all day. Here's his file." Cuddy handed the file to Foreman and watched as the team walked down the hall, already discussing a possible diagnosis.

She looked back down at the stack of papers in front of her and decided to take a quick break before she got back to sorting her mail from the week. She stood up from her desk and was about to head out when Wilson walked into her office.

"You look exhausted. But there's no House around here to make you miserable and tired, so something else is up. You okay?" Wilson asked before she could leave.

"I'm fine, Wilson. Thanks. I'm just a bit tired; I have a ton of paper work to do this week. And I'm kind of worried about House's team, you think they'll handle the case okay by themselves, without House to fall back on?"

"They're great doctors, Cuddy. House never would've hired them if he didn't know that. Don't worry about it," Wilson assured her, noticing her uneasiness. Cuddy nodded and walked over to the doorway, ready to take her break. "So, are you enjoying not having House to chase after all day, hunt him down to find out he isn't even doing his job?" Wilson added before she could leave again.

"Yeah," she said rather ambiguously, causing Wilson to raise his eyebrows at her in question.

"You don't sound so enthused. I thought you'd be celebrating with most of the other people in the hospital by now."

"He's the best doctor we have, Wilson. The hospital suffers when he's gone. People die because he's not here. It isn't fair," Cuddy said with a hint of anger in her voice, trying to convince both Wilson and herself that that was the only reason she was missing him in the hospital more every day.

"You miss him," Wilson said bluntly, reading right through her, and she felt her cheeks redden slightly as she finally realized that it was true. She really did miss him.

"So? I haven't seen you celebrating with the nurses or other doctors either. You miss him too."

"I'm his best friend. God knows why I am, but I am, so of course I'm going to miss her. You. I have no idea why you do, but that's probably something I'll never understand." Cuddy just laughed as she asked herself the same question. She turned away from Wilson before he could read more thoughts from her mind. She picked up her coat and headed for the door, still needing that coffee break.

"Where are you going? You don't get off for another three hours," Wilson asked her as she walked away.

"I'm gonna get some coffee, I need a break," she answered casually.

"Right," Wilson said suspiciously, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watched her walk out of the hospital.


	4. L Word and Letters

**FOUR**

House was busy watching the L Word DVD for the third time when he was interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Unless you have some really good food or happen to be a really hot hooker, I suggest you leave before I call the cops," House shouted sarcastically at the door.

Cuddy couldn't help but laugh when she heard his reply. She knew him too well, so of course she picked up some food before she came over.

"House, It's Cuddy. Open the door."

"Strange, last time I checked, my hookers' name was Bambi, but I guess she could've changed it," House replied as he walked over to the door to let her in. He opened the door loudly and leaned against it for support. Cuddy looked amazing in a simple v-neck sweater and pants; quite different from the expensive skirts and blouses she wore to work everyday. Her dark hair was loosely framing her delicate face and House found himself so lost in those deep, blue eyes that he didn't even notice the bag of Chinese food in her hand.

"Are you just gonna stand there and stare at me all day or are you gonna let me come in?" Cuddy asked him, wondering if it coming over here was a good idea. House just smirked at her and raised his elbow so she could walk under his arm. Cuddy obliged and headed to the kitchen right away, needing to escape from his gaze for a while. She busied herself with dishing up the food and didn't even notice when House entered the room after her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked skeptically. "Did you miss me too much at the hospital and decide to come yell at me here?"

"No. I just wanted to come see how you were doing," she answered casually, handing him his plate and heading back out to the couch to take a seat. "Wanted to make sure you hadn't burned down the apartment yet or injured any neighbors of yours or anything."

He eyed her suspiciously as he took a seat next to her on the couch, but decided to just drop the subject. "Well, you're just in time for episode eleven of the L Word," he said, pointing at the screen. She didn't want to argue with him right now, so she just nodded and turned to watch the show. They ate in silence as they watched the entire episode, both of them just grateful for the company.

"Is this all you ever do during the day now?" Cuddy asked as the credits rolled over the screen and the music played quietly.

"Well. Thanks to my self centered, much-too-perfect boss, I can't go the hospital and harass patients for another five months. So yeah, this is pretty much all I do." 

He had said it with a hint of humor, but she couldn't help feeling guilty when she heard it. She looked away quickly before he could notice that it had hurt her, but of course he already had.

"Sorry," he said sincerely, causing Cuddy to immediately look back up at him to see if he was joking. But his eyes showed nothing but sincerity and Cuddy wondered if maybe the L Word was having some sort of strange side effect on him. She gave him a weak smile and then stood up and took their plates to the kitchen. She was busy emptying the plates into the garbage when she noticed a letter from a nearby hospital on top of his counter. She put the plates down and unfolded the letter.

_Dr. Gregory House,_

_We are pleased to have received your application for the Nephrology department at Princeton General Hospital - _

Cuddy couldn't read any more of it, the tears in her eyes were clouding her vision. She put the letter back in the envelope and went back to cleaning the dishes. Suddenly, she felt House come into the room and stand behind her, making her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush. She tried to take a deep breath and regain her composure, but it was much too difficult with him standing so damn close to her. _I might as well just get this over with, _she thought to herself. _I'll ask him about the letter now and then I'll have nothing to worry about, right?_

"You're leaving Princeton-Plainsboro," she said quickly, before she could choke on her tears or change her mind. She didn't turn around to look at, just leaned against the counter and stared at the envelope. He took a deep breath and the warmth on the back of her neck made her heart race. _Couldn't he move away? Why did he have to stand right there? _

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to sound clueless about it.

"Don't pretend you don't know," she said, turning around to face him. She picked up the envelope and slammed it against his chest and causing him to stumble backwards a few feet. He winced in pain as she stormed out of the kitchen. _Why did he always have to hurt her, dammit. _He picked up his cane and moved as quickly as he could so he could explain before she left.

He grabbed her wrist right before she opened the door, making every nerve in her arm dance under his touch. He spun her around so that she could listen to him, but when he saw the hurt in her eyes he was speechless. He had caused her so much pain and she didn't deserve it. Unsure of what to say to her, he simply pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

Cuddy couldn't fight him. She had no desire to fight him. She let herself melt in his arms, somehow managing to find comfort in them despite the rage she felt towards him at the same time. She sobbed into his shoulder, slipped her arms around his waist and held on to him tight, never wanting to let go.


	5. Tears and Tension

**FIVE**

House felt the dampness on his shoulder and it hurt him to know that he did this to her. He tightened his hold on her and he felt her relax into his body, making it impossible for him to know where he ended and she began. She took a deep breath and finally gained control of herself, unsure of why she let herself become so vulnerable in the first place. To her surprise, she felt House's lips press against her hair and she wondered if this was the same abrasive, rude House she argued with every day. Reluctantly, she pulled out of his arms and put some distance between them. She looked up into his blue eyes and challenged him with her stare, waiting for an explanation.

"I thought it would be for the best," he started slowly, unsure of how to say everything he longed to say. "I'm always making you miserable. I've hurt you more times than I can even count. This whole Tritter mess wouldn't have even happened if it weren't for me. You don't deserve this, Cuddy. You've got everything going for you and I didn't want to stand in your way any more, so I applied for a position at Princeton General."

He walked over to the couch when he finished talking, realizing he had been standing on his leg for much too long. Cuddy followed him and let her mind process everything he had told her. She wanted to scream at him, tell him he was completely wrong, tell him he was an idiot, and beg him not to leave Princeton Plainsboro. Not to leave her.

"You are one miserable, wretched idiot, you know that?" She said, hitting him hard on the chest again in frustration.

"Why should I stay?" 

"Because you're the best goddamn doctor we have!" she shouted angrily.

"That's all?"

"Yes! I mean, No! No," she said, searching for an answer. "I mean…Everything you just told me. About how you make me miserable and hurt me all the time, that's not true. Sure, you piss me off most of the time and we disagree on practically every little thing we encounter, but I care about you, House! And I'm not just going to let you walk away thinking you deserve less than the rest of us. Because that's not true. You deserve more than most of us! You will do anything to make sure the right thing is done in the end. You put up with chronic pain 24/7 and still manage to save more lives than any of the other doctors in the hospital. You are not quitting, House. I will do anything to stop you."

Cuddy finished shouting at him and took a deep breath. She had no idea why she just told him everything she did; it just all flowed out of her mouth before she could think it through. She glared at him through her icy blue eyes, waiting for him to yell back. Instead, he just stared at her, clearly thinking about everything she had just told him. Slowly, she saw the corner of his lips lift upwards ever so slightly and he smirked at her innocently.

"Anything, huh?" He said, raising his eyebrows at her jokingly. She sighed in relief as the tension in the room was lifted; he was back to his old, sarcastic self.

"You are so immature," she replied, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. She stared intently at the blank TV screen in front of her, trying so hard to avoid meeting the eyes that were so focused on her right then.

"So, is the hospital really that awful without me there?"

Cuddy just rolled her eyes and laughed in response. _He has no idea_, she thought to herself with a smile.


	6. Vicodin and Body Guards

**SIX**

Cuddy had been lying awake for hours just thinking about everything House had told her. She couldn't believe that he had actually considered leaving Princeton Plainsboro. On the other hand, she also couldn't believe how badly it had hurt her. She simply couldn't imagine him leaving the hospital completely. She had to admit it; she would really miss him if he left.

Hours later, Cuddy awoke to the sound of her alarm clock ringing. She went through her usually routine, exhausted from her lack of sleep. Eventually, after making coffee, having a shower, and making herself look presentable, Cuddy grabbed her keys and headed out the door. She was shocked to find House standing in front of the door when she opened it.

"What are you doing here?"

"Spying on you in the shower, what else," House answered casually.

"Right," she said heading to her car, but noticing that House had parked right behind her. "Well, I'm running late, so you better give me a damn good reason why you're here."

House sensed the irritation in her voice and assumed that she probably hadn't slept much last night either. He decided he definitely did not want to get on her bad side today.

"Just wondering if you could pick me up some vicodin today. Wilson's getting pretty lazy with his drop-off schedule and I only have a couple left."

Cuddy thought it was a pretty lame excuse, but she just nodded and unlocked her car as House did the same.

"House," she added quickly before he got in his car. "I do have a phone you know."

"You never answer it. It's like you have call display and just ignore it whenever it's me."

"Right. And now I'm going to have to hire bodyguards for my house too just to keep you away."

"I could take them."

"No you couldn't," she replied, eyeing his bad leg.

"Yes I could," he shot back, waving his cane.

"Whatever, House. I have to go to work now. See you later."

They both got in their cars and backed out of the driveway, each of them smiling for no real reason..


	7. Disagreement in the Hospital

**SEVEN**

Cuddy hoped she could just slip in quietly without anyone noticing she was late, but when she got to her office Cameron and Chase were both waiting for her.

"We need to run some tests," Cameron stated as Cuddy came in.

"Well, go ask Foreman. He's in charge."

"He won't let us do the tests; he's positive that it's allergies," Chase added, handing Cuddy the patient's folder.

"Persistent cough, shortness of breath, itchy rash, and lesions around the mouth," Cuddy read off of the patient's file. "Sounds like an infection to me."

"I agree. Foreman doesn't though."

"You guys can do the tests. But try and work together from now on, I don't like feeling like I have to baby-sit you guys."

Cameron and Chase nodded and went off to run the tests for infections. _This would be so much easier if House was here_, Cuddy thought with a sigh. She looked over at the stack of mail she had to reply and started reading the first one.

Time went by so slowly and Cuddy was glad it was finally time to leave. She put on her coat and locked up her office. Stopping on the way out to pick up House's vicodin, she headed out to her car and started towards House's place.

House was busy lying on his couch, drinking and watching his rat when he heard his doorbell ring.

"Door's open," he shouted at the door, not wanting to get up. He looked up and saw Cuddy walk into house, unsure of why his heart suddenly sped up when he saw her. _It must just be the alcohol I've had tonight,_ he thought to himself. Cuddy just walked over to him and tossed a full bottle of vicodin on him, landing right on his stomach.

"Hey, you could've just put them on the table or something," House joked.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want you to have to actually move anytime soon," Cuddy replied sarcastically. "Have you even gotten up once today?"

"Well, I had to pee a few times, so yeah, I've moved around a bit today."

"You're pathetic," Cuddy said as she rolled her eyes and headed back to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going home. I brought you your vicodin, which, judging by the fact you haven't walked around all day, I'm assuming you didn't need that badly anyway. So now, I'm going to go home and rest. Goodnight."

"Stay for a bit," he said, staring at the cane he was tossing back and forth between his hands to avoid meeting her eyes. He expected to hear some snicker or mocking remark from her and he regretted ever making the suggestion. But she just nodded and walked back over to his couch, glad to have some company for a while. He lifted his legs off the couch and made room for her to sit. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before House stood up and walked over to the kitchen.

"You want a drink or something?"

"Sure. I'll just have whatever you're having," she answered tentatively, unsure of why she was here, in house's home, having drinks with him. The thought made her heart race and she suddenly wished she had just dropped off the pills and left right away. She obviously had feelings for him and this realization terrified her. She was his boss for God's sake. He was suddenly standing over her again, holding out a beer for her. She took it gratefully, refusing to look at him, hoping the alcohol would clear her mind.


	8. Everybody Lies

**EIGHT**

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, drinking their beers, before House finally spoke up.

"So you ready for episode twelve of the L Word?"

"Don't you have anything _good _to watch?"

"You mean better than hot chicks making out with eachother and ridiculous cat fights? I don't think that's even possible."

Cuddy just sighed and let her head fall back against the couch, noticing how the couch smelled exactly like House.

"So how's my team doing? Have they killed any patients yet?"

"Are you pretending you actually care about them?"

"I'm just curious."  
"Right. Well, I put Foreman in charge and they've completely disagreed on the differential for their patient. Foreman wouldn't even let them run their tests. They're better than that. I don't know what's going on with them."

"Put Cameron in charge," House said simply, as if it would solve all the problems.

"What? Last time, you would never have let her take charge. What changed? If you think this is just some lame excuse to get into her pants, I am not letting you."

"Jealous?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Cuddy just let out an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, a sign that she was not in a mood to joke around. House couldn't believe how incredibly sexy she looked when she was frustrated. He stared at her intently, waiting for her to say something. "Okay fine, you're not. But Cameron's changed; She's not going to let anything stand in her way from doing what's right. Plus, I would kill to see Chase and Foreman's faces when they hear the news. Priceless."

"Okay whatever. I'll tell them tomorrow. But I am _not _taking pictures," she said lifting her head up and facing him, suddenly aware of how close he was.

"Killjoy," he said, leaning in closer and challenging her with his stare.

"Hey, you're the completely vindictive and cruel misanthropist here, not me," she snapped back quickly, matching his challenging stare with one of her own. They both just tried to stare each other down for what seemed like forever, when eventually Cuddy couldn't help but laugh. She looked up and saw a grin on his face too. It was like one of those staring contests that everyone had as children; eventually both of them would end up laughing so that it didn't even matter who won anymore.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. House just ignored it and took a sip of his beer, still trying to hide a smile.

"House. I know you're in there. I'm coming in, okay?"

Before House could protest, he heard a key slide into the door and unlock it. Seconds later, Wilson was standing in the doorway looking at him. He was shocked. Why was Cuddy here? And why were they sitting so close? And was House actually smiling? He suddenly felt like he was intruding on something and really didn't want House to lecture him about it the next day.

"I just came to drop off your vicodin," Wilson said, tossing him a full bottle of the pills. "So, I'll see you later then."

"How kind of you, Jimmy," House replied and Wilson knew that he wasn't talking about the vicodin. He really was enjoying himself and as much fun as him and Wilson had together, Wilson could tell he didn't want him to stay. "See you later."

Wilson just gave a wave to the two of them and walked back out the door, leaving them alone once again. House looked back at Cuddy and noticed a bemused expression on her face.

"I thought you said he wasn't dropping off your vicodin lately," she said with a questioning look.

"Everybody lies," he answered simply, and without any thought he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.


	9. The First Kiss

**NINE**

Cuddy was stunned. All she could do was close her eyes when she felt his lips press against her cheek, amazed at the tenderness in his touch. _I should pull away, _she thought to herself. _It's House. The rude, arrogant jerk that works for me. _But no matter how hard she tried to pull away, she simply couldn't. She turned her head ever so slightly until her lips met his. He kissed her back without hesitation and the gentleness in his kiss made the tears well up in her eyes. She let her hands run through his hair and she felt him pull her closer to him. Nothing had ever felt so right to either of them and they wished the moment could last forever.

After a while, House ended the kiss so he could regain his breath. He pulled her close to him and rested his chin on top of her head. He felt her smile against his neck and her warm breath on him made his heart race even faster. They remained like that in comfortable silence for quite some time, before Cuddy finally came back to reality and realized what she was doing.

"I should probably get going," she whispered against his neck, knowing that it was true, but wishing it wasn't. "I have to go into work early tomorrow."

"Right," he answered, pulling her even closer despite her statement. She didn't even fight him; just let him pull her closer and hold her there. She suddenly realized how badly she had wanted this to happen since the day she had hired him. Sure, she had denied that fact since that very same day, but there was really no point in hiding it anymore.

"Or I could stay," she suggested, not wanting to really leave. He pulled away just far enough so he could look into her eyes. He gave her a quick kiss on her lips and then picked up the TV remote.

"Good. Because it's time for General Hospital reruns and I know you wouldn't want to miss them," he said as leaned back against the couch and pulled her against him, sliding his arm around her shoulders. She normally would've put up a fight, accused him of watching too much TV, and turned it off, but right now she was so content with his arm around her and their bodies so close that she just let herself relax and enjoy the company. Only moments passed before they fell asleep, both of them more relaxed and comfortable than they had been in years.


	10. Late for Work

**TEN**

Cuddy awoke the next morning with a rather sore neck and it took her a moment to realize she was still lying on House's couch. She sat up quickly, noticing House was no longer in the room. However, only seconds later he was at her side again and he handed her a mug of coffee. She smiled up at him and accepted the coffee thankfully. They drank in silence for a while, until Cuddy suddenly realized how light it was outside.

"Oh my gosh! What time is it?" she asked nervously.

"10:30. But don't worry. I told Wilson to tell the hospital you weren't feeling well this morning," House replied sincerely.

"You WHAT?!" she shouted at him, angry at him for not waking her up for work.

"You looked tired, so I thought I would just let you sleep," he answered simply.

"Yeah. As if you care," she snapped back at him quickly, putting her mug on the coffee table a little harder than she meant to. She picked up her keys from the table and made her way to the door. House followed her as quickly as he could, given the throbbing pain that was increasing in his leg.

"Cuddy, wait," he said urgently, finally catching up to her. She turned around slowly and met his pleading eyes. She didn't want to hurt him, understanding how easily he could be hurt, but she really had to get to work. She placed her hand on his arm and kissed him lightly on the cheek. And then she was gone.

House watched her pull out of his driveway and he kicked himself inside for not waking her up for work. He knew that the hospital was everything to her. She _never _called in sick, never showed up late, and never even complained about working overtime. He should have known she would've wanted to be woken up. After a few moments of wondering where he went wrong, he suddenly found himself asking why he cared. But he did care. He couldn't deny that any more; he really did care about her.

Cuddy reached her house in less than ten minutes and she immediately went to go get changed and fix her make-up. She really regretted leaving House so abruptly, but she hoped he could understand that her job was really important to her. She cursed herself for leaving like that. She always did that and it had ruined every single one of her past relationships. She wasn't sure what it was she and House shared at the moment, but whatever it was, she really hoped she wouldn't screw it up.


	11. Breaking into Her House

**ELEVEN**

The day had been long and stressful and Cuddy was glad to finally be heading home. _At least the team finally solved the case, _she thought to herself. She laughed as she realized House had once again been right; putting Cameron in charge had worked out perfectly. Of course, Foreman was pretty pissed, but at least Chase had seemed genuinely happy for his coworker. She checked on their patient one last time to make sure he was stable, and then she headed home.

Twenty minutes later, she was back at her house and ready for a good night's rest. She opened her door, flicked on the lights, and screamed when she saw there was a man lying on her couch. He looked up briefly when he heard the scream, allowing her to see whom it was, and then he put his head back down on the pillow. She let out a noise of frustration as she watched him there, spinning his cane in his hand, looking completely at home.

"You broke into my house?" she shouted angrily at him. He immediately regretted coming over unannounced and really wasn't in the mood to listen to her get angry so he just closed his eyes and said nothing. As soon as he relaxed again, she walked over to him and shoved his feet off of her couch.

"You could at least have the decency to take your shoes off before breaking in to my house and ruining my furniture," she said, livid with anger.

"I thought you were going to hire guards," he snapped back, with a glint of humor in his eyes that made her even more frustrated.

"I didn't think you'd actually break into my house!"

"Well, I guess you don't know me very well than," he replied bluntly, sitting up straight to make room for her to sit beside him on the couch. She just stood over him and glared at him, refusing to sit down.

"This isn't a game, House," she said coolly, the anger boiling up in her when she noticed the corner of his mouth lift up in an almost-smile.

"Really? Because I thought it was, remember? You do something to make me miserable and then I do something to make you miserable. It sounds like a game to me. But see, you thought you were definitely winning, but now, judging by the look on your face right now, I'd say I'm getting a pretty good lead."

"You're unbelievable," she said, letting out a loud sigh of disbelief.

"Well that's what my hookers tell me all the time, but I thought that was just part of their job or something. I guess not," he retorted sarcastically, but she had had enough of their bantering for now and decided to get back to the point.

"Why are you here, House?"

"To make you miserable. I thought we already established that."

"House," she said sternly, like he was a dog that refused to come when he was called.

"Okay fine. I just wanted to see if you could pick me up some more vicodin." He knew it was a pretty lame excuse, but he couldn't think of anything else to say to her at the moment.

"House," she said even more sternly, glaring at him through her icy, blue eyes.

"Okay, okay fine," he said standing up so that their faces were only millimeters apart. He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, but passionate kiss. She let the anger she was feeling melt away completely and she leaned in to him, deepening the kiss. He brought his lips to her ear, ending the kiss and whispered in her ear.

"Was that a better answer?" 

She couldn't help but laugh at his comment and she pulled away from him, looking up to meet his eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest, like she always did when she was determined to win an argument.

"Not quite," she replied with a grin, letting her eyes sparkle at him.


	12. The Morning

**TWELVE**

Several hours later, House woke up to a throbbing in his legs. He opened his eyes to look for his vicodin, but instead only saw the woman that was curled up next to him, her face in the crook of his neck. The warm breath on his neck made his heart race every time she exhaled and he secretly wished he could just let her lie like that all day. But he wasn't going to make that mistake again; he knew that she needed to go to work. Glancing at the clock, he decided it would probably a good time to wake her up so that she could be on time for work. He nudged her softly until her eyes finally fluttered open.

"Hey," she said lazily, meeting his eyes.

"Hey," he replied, rubbing her back and pulling her closer. "It's seven thirty. I figured you probably wouldn't want to be late for work again."

She laughed as she thought about the previous morning and the childish way she had acted. This morning was different though; she wished she could just stay in her warm bed all day and spend some time with the man she shared it with right now. She looked back up at him and could have sworn she saw a sparkle in his eye that she hadn't seen in years.

"I can call in sick today," she said, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes again.

"You sure?"

"Mhmm," she answered, nodding her head against his solid chest. He slid his arm around her and closed his eyes again, remaining like that for quite some time until she spoke again. "I'm gonna go make some coffee."

House opened his eyes and watched slide on her robe and head for the kitchen. He rolled out of bed, took a couple pills, and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. When he was finished, he went out to the kitchen and saw Cuddy fiddling with the coffee pot. He slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on top of hers. She finished pouring the coffee and then turned around in his arms and kissed him. The kiss was passionate and wonderful and Cuddy was surprised when he quickly pulled away.

"What's for breakfast?" House asked, whining like a child. She hit him for acting so juvenile, but couldn't control her laughter either. "I'm starving."

Cuddy pointed at a cupboard to the left of him and he immediately walked over and began rummaging through it.

"This stuff isn't even edible, Cuddy. How do you survive?"

"Well, contrary to your belief, people can't survive off of peanut butter and jam and sugar-filled cereal for their entire lifetime."

"That's what you think. But get dressed," he said, closing the cupboard. "We're going out for breakfast."


	13. You Think Too Much

**THIRTEEN**

"Cuddy, what on earth is taking you so long?"

"House, it has been three minutes," she shouted from the bathroom.

"But mommy, I'm starving," he whined like a five year old, as Cuddy came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go. _Damn, she is gorgeous_, House thought to himself as she put on her coat.

"Let's go," she said, interrupting his thoughts. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him after her.

"Whoa. You can't just drag a cripple around by the arm like this," he said with a grin, pulling back and causing her to fall into him. He slid his arm around her shoulders and started leading her down the driveway.

"Where are we going?" she asked him curiously.

"My bike's parked right there," he said, pointing at the sidewalk. "and we're going for breakfast, remember?"

"Uh, no. There is no way I'm letting you drive me around on that thing," she said, pulling away from him and putting her hands on her hips. He picked up his helmet and slid it on her head as she glared at him. He snapped the helmet tight and kissed her on the cheek.

"Let's go. My stomach is starting to eat itself I'm so hungry."

Cuddy decided she didn't want to argue about it anymore, so she followed behind him with an annoyed sigh and got on the back of his bike. Her hold on him was tight the entire ride, even after the fear subsided, and she had to admit she loved every minute of it. She was slightly disappointed when they reached the restaurant so quickly and as soon as she got off the bike she missed the feeling of the wind rushing by and the warmth of House's back on her front.

"See? That wasn't so bad," House said as he took her helmet of her head.

"It was alright," she said, not wanting to let him have the privilege of being right, but the sparkle in her eyes let him know she was lying. He just lifted the corner of his lips in an almost-smile and guided her into the restaurant.

"Do you think this will make things awkward at work?"

The breakfast had been fun and they had both been enjoying each other's company immensely. They were sitting side by side in a small booth, and it felt completely comfortable for both of them. But Cuddy couldn't stop wondering how this would change things between them, so she finally asked him the question.

"What? The pancakes or the fruit? I don't really think either of them will really make anything awkward, Cuddy," he answered sarcastically, not quite sure how to answer the question.

"Seriously, House. Do we tell people? Or should we just keep it a secret? What if the board classifies it as 'inappropriate boss-employee behavior'?"

"You think too much," he replied, shoving the rest of his pancake in his mouth.

"Is that so bad?"

"It kind of gets in the way sometimes," he said, looking her right in the eye. "Like now. Here we are, perfect morning, great food, good company, and then all you're thinking is _what if this gets awkward at work_."

"You're right," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's not ruin this."


	14. Welcome Back

FOURTEEN 

The next five months flew by quickly. Cuddy would stay over at his place sometimes and other times he would stay at hers. They had definitely had their ups and downs, but both of them always knew they would have their arguments. But that was nothing new, and both of them had to admit that they were happier than either of them had been in years.

His team had even visited him a few times during his suspension. Although, he would never admit it out loud, he missed them a lot. He was glad to finally be going back to the hospital.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he picked up his helmet and headed out towards the hospital. Ten minutes later he was walking through the hospital doors, late as usual, of course. Nothing had changed.

"You can't even show up on time for you first day back?"

House turned around and saw Wilson walking towards him with a smile. "I'm not really in the mood for one of your pointless lectures right now, Jimmy."

"Right. You have much more important things to do. I bet your gameboy has been missing you while you were at home with your TV."

House just sneered at him and started towards his office, Wilson running along behind him. When he got there he was shocked. A banner hung over the wall that read _Welcome Back, House!_ His team stood under it, smiling at him.

"Geez guys. It's not my birthday or anything," he said sarcastically.

"Well you haven't changed at all," Cameron said with a smile, happy to see him. "I thought it would be nice, that's all."

"Looks like you haven't changed much either," he replied. She just laughed and went to get him his coffee. She handed him his usual red mug and he gave her a nod of appreciation when he took it from her. "So where's the real present?"

"Right here," replied a voice that had become so familiar to him in the past few months. She walked up to him and held out a file, her eyes never leaving his. They had made an agreement not to make their relationship public at the hospital, albeit mostly on House's request. Wilson was the only person that knew, and House was reluctant to change that, so she had agreed to it.

He took the file from her hands, letting his fingers linger on hers for a few moments before pulling away. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he had already begun reading the file.

"Twelve year old boy with chest pain, insomnia, and hallucinations," he read out loud. "This is going to be fun."

He shut the file loudly and slid his arm around Cuddy's waist. He pulled her against his side and right there, in front of his entire team, he bent down and kissed her cheek. "Thanks," he whispered in her ear, before he pulled away and limped over to the whiteboard. Cuddy left the room flushed and confused, but the smile on her face didn't fade until she reached her own office and sat down at her desk.

A few seconds later, after he had put all the symptoms on the board, he turned around to see his team still staring at him with open mouths.

"What? Jealous I liked her surprise better than yours?"


End file.
